Never Had It In You

"Right now we kinda feel like the market is changing and we're not really in a position to put out an album and for people to be 100 per cent interested in it,” says The Novocaines guitarist Jay Marriott when quizzed on why the band has opted to release another single, as opposed to an album. “We're trying to stay as current as possible; the idea is to put out a single or two every couple of months because it might pique people's interest some more.”

Marriott's clearly onto something with the band understanding the importance of keeping their profile fresh and new, while continuing to have a presence in the scene. “Everybody, including myself, is about having the new thing now,” he states matter-of-factly. “Whether it be [a] band's single or an album or their favourite television series or movie or whatever it might be.” It's a bold and calculated move by the band to continually release new singles and tour extensively in support of them but it's one Marriott says bands and artists have to take advantage of. “Nowadays everything is so right now and immediate. The idea of putting out singles as opposed to an album is we can put out six things every year rather than once a year.”

While the inclement Perth weather put a halt to their release plans at the band's live music show at Resound on Sunday 22 September, I find Marriott hard at work, frantically finishing rescheduling the event for Sunday 29 September. “I'm just putting together the final pieces that need to be looked after, 'cause we've had to reschedule – it's been an absolute nightmare, we're just trying to make sure everything runs to schedule,” Marriott jokes. Resound is an all-day music show to be held at the Perth Cultural Centre and will see the The Novocaines headline, with support from locals Faim, The Floors, Puck, Pat Chow, Turin Robinson and Nevada Pilot.

“Resound was an idea I have been working on for a couple of months, along with Stefan Caramia from Teledex Collective, who also plays guitar in Faim; there's no way I could have organised this without him,” he says. “The whole premise was to put on a show that was more than one just at a venue, you know, being able to do a show outdoors in the James St Mall and get it broadcast right around Australia.”

Marriott needn't worry too much; his band is one of the most respected DIY punk bands in Australia and one whose profile is ever growing in the international scene, but Marriott is adamant that Resound is more about promoting Western Australian music and supporting the other bands in their quest to grow on the East Coast. “The reason for that is the cost of touring these days is so expensive [so] I thought that if maybe we could record everybody's live sets and promote it as an event other than just a band's live set then maybe we would give all of the bands a chance to tour over there [East Coast] more,” he says. “It was in an effort to help as many people out, really, and we just wanted to do something really interesting.”

The Novocaines formed back in 2006, with the intention of bringing audiences a unique blend of hard hitting punk rock complemented by an energetic and ferocious live stage show. Their style is in-your-face, aggressive and somewhat truculent and pugnacious. While the band has released numerous EPs, and one full length album in 2011's Idle Time, their most recent bold attack is on living in the present and releasing their singles as soon as possible. Their latest single Don't Wait sees the band's sound move into darker and heavier territory – mixing the elements of punk, hardcore, grunge and rock. Marriott says the change in their direction has been largely influenced by a change in their own musical catalogues. “We've been listening to a lot of punk and metal,” he offers. “[And] especially the American punk, hardcore and metal scene; naturally, the more you listen to stuff, it influences the way you play, and it's sort of the direction that we wanted to head.”

They spent the most of 2012 writing and self-producing their new material, pinpointing a new direction for the band – creating short, yet succinct, direct energetic punk rock, with influences from modern contemporaries Fucked Up and Pulled Apart By Horses; yet they are able to create their own style. “We have the advantage to take our time when we write and to be able to jump into the studio whenever we're ready and we want to continually put out things and use it to our advantage,” Marriott concludes.

You can catch The Novocaines this weekend at RESOUND at the Perth Cultural Centre.